It’s not a hot take to say that summer is much more pleasant to play sports outside. Pretty much every sport is a possibility to play outdoors during the summer, but once the weather gets chillier, the potential options dwindle quite a bit.
Strap in for the best outdoor sports options for this winter, starting with the most obvious.
Whistler Blackcomb opening Thursday for skiing, snowboarding https://t.co/9Es4QejgZ9
— BC News Now 🗞️ (@BCNewsNow) November 22, 2023
The Well Established Winter Sports: Skiing and snowboarding
Skiing is easily the best and most popular sport to partake in, especially living on the west coast of Canada. There is no absence of gnarly resorts and ski hills to check out, promising to keep your weekends occupied all season long.
The ski culture is so established in Vancouver area, with three local mountains within a half hour drive of downtown. I don’t think most people realize how lucky we are to have this. Do you know any other major cities that have a ski hill this close to the city, let alone three?
Aside from these three, there’s also the epic Whistler Blackcomb resort within a two hour drive. We are truly spoiled for options here in Vancouver.
Amazing if it’s cold enough for a lake to freeze over: Skating and hockey
This is a winter activity that is much better in other spots in Canada. Vancouver simply doesn’t get cold enough for bodies of water to freeze. Elsewhere in Canada, skating on a frozen lake or pond is a right of passage. The best bet might be to embark on a little road trip north so that you can find a quality spot.
If you can successfully find a frozen lake, you won’t regret it. There’s something so satisfying about the uninterrupted ice. Unlike a skating rink, that has boards preventing you from truly letting loose, you can skate as fast as you want outside. Every Canadian should experience this at least once.
Underrated, but totally worth it: Tennis
If you are like most people in the Lower Mainland, you probably fill up your local public tennis courts when the weather is nice. The problem with that of course is that long queues often develop. Countless times I’ve tried to play some tennis in the summer, only to be kicked off after the minimum time of 30 minutes.
Chances are, you want to play a bit longer than that. That’s why playing tennis in the winter is the best. The main obstacle is of course the rain, so you’ll have to wait for a dry day. But don’t let the cold weather turn you off. Once you get moving around, you’ll warm up pretty quickly. All you really need is maybe a pair of gloves and a toque, and you’re good to go. The best part is that nobody will have this idea, so you’re free to play as long as you want.